Reversible ice-chute.



JAMES BERNARD DOWLING, OF GOULDSBORO, PEN'NSYLVANIA.

REVERSIBLE ICE-CI-IUTE.

Application filed April 25, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES B. DowLING, a citizen of the United States, resi'ding at Gouldsboro, in the county vof Wayne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Reversible Ice-Chute, of which the following is a specification..

The invention relates to improvements in ice chutes.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of ice chutes and to provide a simple, practical, and comparatively inexpensive reversible ice chute, of light, strong, and durable construction, capable of being easily handled, and adapted to be reversed, whereby it may be used in winter for harvesting ice, and in summer for loading ice, thereby obviating the necessity of providing two separate chutes for this purpose, and storing one of such chutes when the other is in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a reversible chute of this character capable of enabling ice to be rapidly and conveniently handled both in harvesting and loading, and adapted to have applied to it an adjustable side chute of the usual construction, designed for use in summer time and adapted to be moved along the main chute and to be arranged at different points without the necessity of blocking it in position.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a sectional ice chute adapted to be varied in length and equipped with detachable sections capable of'being arranged on the layers of ice and of remaining in the position ,in which they are placed, without the use of anchoring or other fastening means.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit Orsacri- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentetl'Feb. 2, 1915.

Serial No. 834,417.

fi'cing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a plan View of a reversible ice chute constructed in accordance with this invention, and shown arranged for loading ice. Fig. 2 is a perspeetive view of one of the sections of the ice chute. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the same. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view illustrating the manner of arranging one end of the side chute upon the reversible chute.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawing.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, 1 designates a chute consisting of a series of sections 2 detachably connected together by hooks3' and eyes 4 and arranged in alinement to form a continuous chute, and adapted to extend from one end of an ice house 5 to another. Each section of the main chute is composed of rails (3 and 7, transverse connecting bars 8, and side bars 9. The rails 6, which are designed for use when unloading the ice from an ice house, are T-shaped, being composed of central, relatively sharp web and laterally extending attaching fianges 10 which are fitted fiat against the transverse connecting bars 8. The rails 7, which are located at the opposite faces of the connecting bars 8 from the rails 6, are approximately U-shaped, and are provided With laterally extending flanges 11, which are also fitted flat against the connecting bars. The flanges 10 and 11 of the rails 6 and 7 are secured to the transverse connecting bars by rivets or other suitable fastening devices, which pierce the said flanges and the bars 8. The side bars 9,

which are arranged at the ends of the transverse bars 6, are L-shaped in cross-sections, being composed of two wlngs or flanges, one of which 1s fitted flat against the connecting bars 8 at the faces to which the rails 6 are secured. The other wing or flange is arranged verticallv and extends through the connecting bars at the faces to which the rails 7 are secured. The chute' is reversible to present the relatively sharp Webs of the rail 6 to the ice, or the rounded treads 12 formed by the U-shaped portions of the rails 7.

- The hooks 3 and the eyes 4 have flat. at.- taching shanks 13 and 14, Which are Vrigidly secured to the outer faces of the side flanges of the side bars 9 by rivets or other suitable fastening devices. The hooks 3 have their bills orl enga-ging portions disposed vin Vvertical planes, and the eyes 4 are horizcntally arranged to receive the books 3.

The chute is adapted to be arranged upon the ice 15 as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawing, and it is carried from the bottom layer to the top' layer and `i's adapted to remain thereon until it is required for taking Vout the ice for loading the same onto cars. The rails 7', having the rounded treadsV 12, are usedfor filling the ice house in Winter, While harvesting the ice, and the rails 6, Which have the relatively sharp Webs, are used during the summer time. While taking the ice out of the ice house. It Will be seen that it is only necessary to reverse the sections of the chute to arrange themV for either filling the ice house With ice, or removing the ice from .the ice house. The sharp Webs of the rail`6 are adapted to engage the supporting layer of ice When the other rails are uppermost, and When the T-shaped rails are Vin use, the vertical* side flanges ofthe side bars engage the supporting layer and they extend beyond the horizontal plane of the treads of the U-shaped rails to'enable them to be partially embedded in the ice. By this construction, the chute is adapted to remain firmly in the position in Which it is placed in' the ice, Without requiring separate fastening means for VSecuring the sections against movement.

'In the summer time, When removing the ice from theV ice house for loading cars, the

reversible chute is adapted .to yhave one end of an adjustable side chute 16' arranged upon it, as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the draw-ing. The ,construction of the reversible chute is such that the'side chute 16 mayv lbe moved along the reversible chute'and' maybe arranged upon the ice at any point, Without blocking it up. The inner end, or the end contiguous to the main chute, is arranged upon the side of the chute, and is supported by the horizontal flange of the contiguous side bar 9, and it' extends inward and fits against the adjacent T-rail. In Fig. 1 of the drawing is illustrafzed the manner of using the side chute, the. blocks of ice being first placed upon the side o r auxiliary chute and run onto the reversible chute,'and

then moved longitudinally thereof`` to the point of discharge. The side chute is adapted to be arranged at either side of the main chute. k

lVhile the ice chute is strong and durable, itsnsectional character renders it comparatively light, so that it maybe easily handled.

YVhat is claimed is: f

1,. A reversible ice chute. provided at its upperand lower facesl With separate sets of longitudinal rails, the rails of each vset having an ice receiving tread of a character different, from the rails of the bother set and being spaced apart transversely of the chute,

and. the l'atter 'being reversible to arrange either set of the rails uppermost for use.

2. A reversible-*ice chute' having ice receivingrails With relativelyV sharp edges at one of its faces and* provided at its,V other face- With ice; receiving rails having relatively blunt edges, said rrails ext/endingl longitudinally of the chute' Vand having their edges spaced ,apart transversely of the same.

3. A reversible ice chute provided at xone of* its faces vvith l'ongitudinal` ice receiving rails havinglrel'atively sharp .edges spaced' .apart'transversely of the chute and longit-udinal approximately lUi-shaped rails located at the other face of the chute and provided With rounde'd tready portions also spaced apart transversel'y.

4. A reversible` ice chute including upper 'and lower sets of longitudinal rails having posed between andfsecured' tol the attaching fiaid'es Of ,the railsreversible icev chute including ice receiving rails locat'eil|` at one of the faces .of the' chute. and' presenting relatively Sharp edges to the ice, relatively bl'unt rails located at the opposite face of the chute, and side bars provided With flanges projecting at the face of the chute having bthe blunt rails and; extending beyond the treads of the same lfor enga'ging ,the ice When the chute is arranged'vvith itsv blunt rails at the bottom.V I

y' 7. A reversible ice chute including trans- .Verse bars, upper vand 'lower longitudinal rai'l's securedi'*tov the faces of the transverse bars and having oppositely projecting ice receiving portions, and approximately L- shaped side bars arranged at the ends of the transverse bars and having projecting side flanges arranged in parallelism With the rails.

8. A reversible ice chute composed of detachable sections, each provided With rails having relatively sharp treads at one face and relatively blunt treads at the opposite face, said sections being provided With ice engaging means located at the faces of the sections having the rails With the relatively blunt treads and projecting beyond the plane of the-latter.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereunto aflixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES BERNARD DOWLING.

Witnesses:

CHARLES EDWARDs, EDGAR DOWLING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

